Settled Down
by Koyurei
Summary: It's been a decade since the Aparoid Invasion and Fox has since disbanded the StarFox team and everyone has walked different paths of life going their separate ways. Fox feeling his age get to him wonders if he'll find anyone.
1. Chapter 1- A Grounded Fox

_Author's Note_  
 _Wow my first fanfic! I would really appreciate any honest criticism, this is my first time writing so I want to know if things get too bland or anything. And feel free to suggest if my characters aren't talking enough or if they're talking too much. I can't really find that fine line for the two. But this is only Chapter 1 so things are relatively dull. I have up to 3 chapters planned so far but as a whole this is just gonna be just a sort of thing i'm gonna work on and off. Would this be considered drabbles? there will be plenty of stories happening here that's for sure. I look forward to working on this!_

* * *

"And that will be all for today, class dismissed." Fox stated briefly.

Students gathered their belongings and shuffled their way out of the classroom eventually leaving Fox McCloud to himself. Fox sat at his desk typing away on the computer, stopping every half hour or so to get up and stretch, sending out emails to students asking if any of them were struggling and to not hesitate to reach out. He was sending out a reply to an invitation for a banquet to commemorate Fox and co's service to Corneria. The date read February 24th, that was next week. He didn't mind going to them, all he really had to do was just to show up to give a speech and then it'd be a night of meeting agents wanting to convince Fox to speak out at their own events. Fox would politely decline or refer them to others he knew were more suitable than himself and be on his way.

The banquet was on the 10th anniversary of Fox's success of saving the Lylat system from the Aparoid Invasion. What seemed like a simple mission of clearing out remains of Andross's army, led by Andrew Oikonny, turned into something drastically different. To think that the great mercenary leader of the team of Star Fox is now an Aerospace Flight Professor at a Cornerian University. If a young Fox could see him now, he'd never would have thought he'd end up in this line of work.

Fox felt that every student has potential to do great things and did his best to keep good relations with his students. He didn't mind staying after class to tutor students, rather he enjoyed this to some extent believing that any student could achieve greatness. He wanted to pass on his skills through teaching so a new generation of skillful pilots could protect and serve the system because admittedly Fox isn't getting any younger and he felt this was the best way to do it. After a few hours of responding to student e-mails, making appointments for tutor sessions, he stood and was on his way out the door when he glanced at the calendar.

"Has this much time really passed?" Fox thought to himself fondly.

Fox made his way out the door and into his car driving away from making his way downtown to grab some dinner at a local diner he frequented. Ironically the diner was called "A Fox in Space" in tribute to Fox's adventures in Lylat's system. He'd normally be upset at companies trying to capitalize on his image but after taking a look at the dark lit bar and it's calm ambient mood, he decided it wasn't all that bad.

Fox sat down at the bar and an orange Lynx who was behind the counter approached him.

"So the usual today again ?" she chuckled.

"C'mon Miyu you know I'm just an old fox nearing his 40's I'm just a regular citizen like everyone else. And yes the usual would be just fine."

"Well until you're in your 40's then to me you are Mr. Hero." she giggled as she turned away,

Miyu walked out back with his order and came back preparing an appletini for the vulpine.

"Here's your drink sir and I'll be back in a moment with your meal."

"Pleasure as always Miyu." Fox said as he raised his glass to her.

Fox enjoyed this bar, it was a nice place to relax and unwind after a long day at the University. Sure he loved his job but he sometimes likes to think "what ifs" if he did things differently. One thing is for sure is that he wouldn't be where he is today if he did do anything slightly different. But sometimes it was fun to daydream if his life was any different. He could've just had a simple life back on Papetoon, but then there wouldn't be anyone to stop Andross. Thinking like that was fun sometimes because it let him think about possibilities he could have missed or have that he doesn't now. Fox was so lost in thought he didn't notice Miyu walking back with his plate

"The usual for the Fox in Space." Miyu said in a joking tone, placing the plate down in front of Fox a bit noisily which snapped Fox from his thoughts and back to reality.

"Thanks for the meal Miyu." Fox flashed a smile at the lynx before digging into his well-done steak with a side of veggies. Fox was impressed that a bar like this could provide such good food. Another reason why Fox really enjoyed spending his time at the bar.

Fox finished his meal and paid the check and made his way out, but accidentally bumped into a taller lupine as he turned from his seat.

"Oh, my apologies didn't see your there I was on my way out."

"Honest mistake." The lupine said and stepped aside. He eyed the fox again and spoke with a deep voice.

"Hey aren't you uh...that Star Fox?"

"W-what? No It's just Fox McCloud, Star Fox was the name of my team before we disbanded. Anyways I'm a busy man and I have to go so if you'll excuse me." Fox replied slightly annoyed.

Fox quickly paced out the bar to avoid anymore awkward interactions that night and drove off, making a quick stop to a local park not far from his apartment to take a night stroll. He felt the cool air on his fur as the wind blew and would slowly walk down the pavement and various paths. As simple as it may have seemed, just walking with the cool atmosphere really calmed him down. On his free time he'd come here during the day to lightly jog or to just sit somewhere and enjoy sight seeing. Fox chuckled to himself and thought it was funny that all those years ago he'd never imagine settling down, yet here he is now living a civilian life. Not even realizing it, Fox was already standing back where he started. He looked around a bit and walked to the center of the park where a big statue stood.

The plaque on the statue read "In honor of team Star Fox, the bravest group of people who had the strength to stand up and face Lylat's greatest challenge and save Corneria." Fox stepped back to look at the miniature holographic Great Fox in front of him with 4 Arwings flying around it, looking closely he could see that the pilots in the arwings were obviously him and his friends, while Peppy and ROB were in the Great Fox. A wave of nostalgia hit Fox making him miss being a mercenary all those years ago. It felt like a lifetime ago that he took up his father's legacy of being the leader of StarFox and was contacted by General Pepper to save and fight off Andross's forces. Thinking back on it all, that life was also very dangerous and he wouldn't trade his current life for it. Fox couldn't help but chuckle again after thinking that, he really must have settled down hard if he's having thoughts like that. A younger Fox would never dream of living a life like this and yet here he is. An aging 36 year-old vulpine strolling through a park just being content with his life. Fox sneezed and decided he's been out late enough and made it back to the car and drove back to his apartment readying himself for the next day.


	2. Chapter 2- Time goes on

_Author's Note:_  
 _Good Morning everyone! I've had this halfway done by the time I uploaded Chapter 1. So here is chapter 2! Must be pretty nice to get a chapter like this pretty soon. Wonder if any of you reading picked up on a certain reference I made in the first chapter. Anyways this chapter is a bit longer with some more dialogue this time. Again criticism about my writing would be greatly appreciated because I'm still relatively new. Enjoy!_

* * *

Fox entered his apartment and settled down on his recliner sighing. He couldn't believe it's already been a decade since the Aparoid Invasion those years ago.

Fox at first enjoyed the first weeks after returning to Corneria. The General granted them a monument to commemorate their bravery for saving the entire system from near destruction. The aparoids devastated the Lylat system so it wasn't long before the celebrating ended. Soon everyone had to get to work immediately to repair the damage the Aparoids caused. Relief ships were sent out to Katina and Fichina to repair the cornerian bases and surrounding cities affected. Team StarFox, to Krystal's suggestion, accompanied another ship to provide medical aid to the inhabitants of Sauria.

Things went smoothly for the most part before reports came in that one of the ships from Katina was attacked by bandits. Survivors reported spotting the team of Star Wolf among them but to their surprise, the footage from the video feed of the survivor's ship showed StarWolf _fending off_ the attacking bandits but was overwhelmed by the sheer number of bandits and left momentarily after saving several fleeing Cornerian ships. Slippy was the first to point this out after he managed to enhance the video image after downloading it from the news site that was reporting this. Fox never got a chance to thank Wolf for his help during the final moments of the invasion and hasn't seen him since, but to see him attempting to save Cornerian military left him speechless.

"Wow and to think all that had to happen for Wolf to have a change of heart is to have the Lylat system nearly destroyed again." Falco remarked.

"Oh Falco come on now. Don't be like that remember even if we fought on opposite sides of the war, we're still mercenaries for hire. Things like that in wars just happen. Don't tell me that never occurred to you." Slippy quipped back at the avian. Eventually the two walked away bickering about the topic.

"..." Fox remained silent because of Slippy's remark.

He hadn't really given it much thought either as to why Wolf always opposed him during the Lylat wars other than them just being competitive rivals on opposite sides of the war. He just saw him as another obstacle in the way of peace for Corneria. Fox saw Wolf again back at Sargasso and he admittedly was a bit unsettled but did his best to hide it and keep things civil. Things were different that time, no sides of a war to be on, but Wolf insisted he had a bone to pick with Fox and ultimately had to fend off Wolf until Fox got the information he was looking for. But when Fox thought back again to when Wolf showed up in Corneria to save him from the aparoids that surrounded him and again when Wolf bought him an opening to reach the Aparoid Queen. Fox surely thought he was just at the right place at the right time because when it came down to it everyone was counting on Fox to finish the job because if it wasn't him then no one else stood a chance.

Krystal sensed Fox's troubled thoughts and placed a hand on his shoulder, worried for him.

"Fox...Could we talk somewhere more private?" She asked quietly before walking off away from the rest of the crew.

Fox lost in thought, took a minute to realize what Krystal had asked and looked up to follow her into a grove away from the rest of the crew for some privacy. When he reached her he noticed she looked a bit sad but her eyes said that she understood.

"Fox I know how we, well… as much as I would want us to be something, I understand your feelings and-" Krystal only managed to say that much before Fox interrupted.

"Please Krystal I'd feel better if you didn't pry into my thoughts but, well I guess even I don't understand my feelings too well either."

"I didn't mean to pry it's just, when you were looking at the video feed of Wolf I just… I honestly kind of wished you looked at me the same way."

"Look I know how you feel about me, but I just never thought of having a relationship. Sure I admit when I first saw you I was really infatuated for a while but even then, that was only because after doing small jobs for 8 years just trying to keep a team afloat doesn't really leave time for meeting people on the side."

Krystal nodded taking in his words.

"I understand Fox. Truth be told I felt this conversation had to happen sooner or later. I don't know if my flirting was obvious enough but I really wanted something to happen between us but at the same time I didn't want to force you into it something you weren't ready for. So seeing that today was just a bit of closure for me. And Fox? If you ever want to talk about your feelings in general. I'll be around."

Krystal walked out of the grove back to the crew to assist in aiding the injured inhabitants. Fox just stood there awhile longer, alone with his thoughts.

"I certainly do feel confused but, no one knows my feelings better than me." Fox said to himself.

As much as Fox thought of Krystal's telepathic powers to be a bit intrusive to his privacy, he was glad she told him this. He certainly wasn't sure what this feeling was about Wolf, whether he was happy he was doing good for himself or just relieved he hasn't gone back to the life of crime. But one thing's for sure, Krystal seemed to be letting on that she knew more than what she told him.

* * *

After wrapping up the mission Star Fox returned to Corneria and began taking on smaller escort missions, slowly aiding in the Lylat System's recovery. Along the line there were plenty of close calls with bandits but every time Star Wolf would appear to help and leave just as quickly without a word. Soon Star Wolf started to gain a reputation because of this. It wasn't long before Star Wolf started taking escort jobs more frequently and eventually General Pepper pardoned the bounty on Wolf thanks to his efforts in aiding in the system's recovery.

With Star Wolf handling most of the dirty work, Fox decided they needed to do their own parts to help. The team agreed to disband for the time being. Falco went alongside with Star Wolf on these missions because he felt that his flying skills could help clean things up faster and would put his flying skills to use. Slippy returned to his father, Beltino, and joined Space Dynamics to ensure that should another invasion of any kind were to suddenly occur, that the Cornerian Military would be well prepared with the right technology. Krystal remained on Sauria along with the military and researchers to help build and complete a Cornerian base to give the planet some sort of protection as it's inhabitants recover. Thanks to a recommendation by General Pepper, Peppy was offered to be the General of the Coneria Military as Pepper had an early retirement.

With everyone gone their separate ways. Fox returned to Papetoon to gather some personal belongings. He didn't like staying at his childhood home long. As many fond memories he had here, he also has sad memories and most notable was where he learned of his father's death. After getting what he needed, some photos and his father's handkerchief, he returned to Corneria. He wanted some way to prepare the next generation so the off chance something drastic happen again he wouldn't have to be solely depended on to save the day. Then it was just as clear as day. If he could pass on his skills, his knowledge, his personal flight experience with others then they'd have the skill set to deal with anything the universe has to offer and to maybe even surpass his own skill. With this realization, he met with Peppy to discuss the licenses he needed to qualify to be an aerospace flight instructor.

"Fox, I'm surprised with the sudden career change and honestly I'm all for it. Just, if you don't mind me asking, why the sudden change?" Peppy inquired the young Fox.

"Well Peppy I had some time to think after taking these smaller jobs and let's face it, I'm not getting any younger and let's say hypothetically I'm not around anymore. I happened to be the son of an ace pilot, with just as much skill as him. And then war broke out and I happened to be on the right side of the war to prevent the system from being taken over by a mad scientist. What if something bigger happens that even I'm not prepared for? In that case I want to be able to pass on my skills to the next generation and maybe train someone who would even surpass me in skill." Fox stated firmly with resolve.

"Hmmm I see…" Peppy sat in thought tapping his foot and spoke,"Fox I have to say to see you speak with such determination and passion, I'm proud of you. I'm sure James would be proud of you too for pursuing something you're passionate about. Don't worry Fox all we need to do is to get the qualifications you need and you'll be set for the job"

Fox let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in the first place. He was relieved to hear Peppy support and help him get what he needed. Fox didn't necessarily feel like a weight was lifted off his chest, everything just looked and felt brighter for him. He took this as a good sign and thanked Peppy for his help and went on his way.

* * *

Fox awoke suddenly, realizing he fell asleep in his recliner, to take a moment to find a clock. He glanced at the clock he has propped on the counter in the kitchen, the time indicating it was a little past 4 o'clock in the morning. Fox yawned and figured he'd get a head start on his day.


	3. Chapter 3- A Surprise Visit

_Author's Note:_

 _Chapter 3 is finally here! I originally had this chapter as one really long one but I felt like it went on too long and kind of didn't fit with what I was going for just this one chapter. So the second bit of this will be chapter 4 that I'm **still** writing about surprisingly. I'm not really sure how to capture certain characters interacting with each other but I'm trying my best with how I'd imagine they'd interact. Like always, enjoy the story and leave a review with criticism. It'll be the only way I'll improve and make more pleasant stories in the future which I'm aiming to use this story for~_

* * *

Fox was in the middle of a lecture with his students when he was interrupted by an unexpected phone call. Fox had to wrap up what he was saying and made a mental note to come back to it when he could. He answered the phone and he recognized that the voice belonged to the cocker spaniel who works the front desk. He excused himself from the class and instructed them to take quick notes on the screen as he walked out.

"What is it Fay? I'm kind of in the middle of a big lecture." Fox stated to the smaller canine.

"U-uh sir a man said that he was an acquaintance of yours from when you were a pilot and that you were expecting him today but-" She replied.

Fox noticed the tone of her voice sounded less bubbly than usual, which was really off putting for someone as happy and positive as Fay so he interrupted her mid sentence to ask.

"Fay did something happen?" Fox asked, concerned if the spaniel was okay.

"I know you usually let me know when you bring in guests to speak for your lectures but this man kept going on about how you were old friends. Of course the only other thing I could think of was to tell him he needed to make an appointment with you if he wanted to speak with you during class hours but then he became really intimidating so-" Fay nervously spat this out faster than the vulpine could comprehend.

"Whoa whoa slow down Fay, just take a breath and tell me where he is now."

"He...He's on his way to your room he should be there in a few minutes." Fay calmly stated.

"Thank you Fay, I'll work this out. Just take a breather for me alright?"

Fox could audibly hear Fay take a deep breath before she replied, "Yes sir, and thank you for looking out for me." Noticing her tone returning to normal Fox said his good-byes and went on with his business.

He tried to formulate a way to work in this sudden visit into his lecture. Then he remembered the pop quiz he had ready for the class that would ask about basic maneuvers that was taught early on in the course. Fox would much rather prefer going on with his lecture but this'll have to do if Falco wanted to drop by for fun. He's done it on more than one occasion that's for sure but something must have happened if he really unsettled Fay and had to seem this soon.

"Sorry for the interruption class but it seems that even I forgot that I was having someone come over, my age must be getting at me earlier than I thought. He's an old acquaintance of mine and going to talk to us about flight maneuvers and should be here soon." Fox's ears perked up to the sound of footsteps nearing the open door and he continued on, "Ah speaking of which that should be him right now, class say hello to Fa-" Fox's own voice got caught in his own throat when he saw who this rude visitor was. What he expected to be an avian in a flight jumpsuit turnout to be someone clearly different. It was a lupine in a leather jacket, just wearing casual jeans being held up with a belt that read SW on the buckle.

What he thought was going to be a simple introduction, discussion on flight maneuvers, cracking a few vulgar jokes and have his friend be on his way-turned into having someone unexpected pop out of the blue sky. Of course thankfully the lupine picked up on what Fox was doing and improvised quite well. Fox dismissed class early and told the student's he'd e-mail them a detailed report discussing today's lesson and promptly asked Fay to do this favor while he took his guest out to have a chat with.

* * *

Fox took this chance to bring his unexpected visitor to his favorite place to catch up after not really seeing each other for the past decade, and even then it was strictly business the last time they did see each other. As he pulled into the parking lot and got his guest to follow him to the front, Fox heard the lupine chuckling and felt his ears heat up.

"Hmph what are you laughing about?"

"Of course _the_ Fox McCloud would go to a bar that's themed after him." the lupine struggled to say before letting out another fit of laughter.

"Hey this place is actually pretty good, sure I had my doubts and judged it harshly but it's a relatively decent place. I mean you came here last night didn't you?" Fox did seem to recall seeing a similar lupine that night but because he was on his way out, didn't seem to notice who that lupine was until today.

"My only excuse for entering that subpar bar was because I was looking for a certain vulpine that visits the bar. Thanks to reliable sources I was right, but it seems the _pup_ was too busy to speak to me from the looks of it." The lupine feigned sadness with his voice.

"Well that _vulpine_ is taking time out of his busy schedule today to humor the great Wolf O'donnell. Oh and you should really apologize to Fay you really scared her she's not used to being treated that way."

"Oh did I really upset her that badly? I just wanted to talk to my old _friend_ and she just tried everything in the book to get rid of me. But just because you asked I'll apologize tomorrow. Now where were we? Oh right! This joke you call a good place."

"Well if you're such a great judge of places how about we go somewhere you think is better than here." Fox stated with a hint of sarcasm, waving his hand at the lupine.

It felt weird admittedly to the vulpine to be acting like such close friends despite their complicated past. But Fox felt like this was a good step into trying to at least befriend the one he deemed his rival. From the look of things Wolf was doing the same so Fox took this as a good sign.

* * *

"Of course you'd pick this place." Fox groaned.

They stood at the front doors of a bar called the Sargasso Station, which arose after Star Wolf began gaining a popular reputation among the media. With team Star Wolf getting this much attention, it wasn't long before news outlets started asking for tours of the Sargasso. Of the few tours that were given, most were by an ever too eager Panther whenever the reporter happened to be any young lady. Despite some of the footage having an obviously flirtatious feline, there was enough footage to capture the aesthetic of the station that people, mostly fans, tried emulating.

Wolf was already walking through the doors by the time Fox noticed. Reluctantly he entered soon after the lupine to be greeted by an all too familiar sight. The interior was visually similar to Sargasso, red painted walls with silver accented furniture and flooring. Some of the booths near the back of the establishment had seatings which looked to just be seats taken directly from ships and just placed there. Fox thought that it was a bit odd and out of place for that to be there, but he accepted that they were just trying to match the crude appearance of how Sargasso looked at the time. Recalling what a recent article said about Sargasso today, Fox was impressed that it went from the biggest criminal hideout to being the most reliable source to find mercenaries willing to take on decent jobs.

Fox scanned the room and followed Wolf to one of the booths in the back. Soon they were greeted by a female cheetah that took their orders.

"I'll have the Rib-eye steak, and make it as rare as you can get." Wolf winked at the cheetah, flashing a toothy grin.

"I'll just have the chicken sandwich and a salad." Fox politely ordered.

The cheetah left with their orders, and came back with complimentary glasses of water.

Fox kept having this nagging feeling tugging at his chest that it wasn't going be easy to just magically be friends with someone he considered his rival for most of his life. He steeled himself and decided he'd ask the question now rather than have it awkwardly brought up later ruining whatever mood was established then.

"Okay Wolf, enough with the facade. Why the sudden visit?" Fox said calmly keeping his voice low.

Wolf seemed a bit shocked but seemed to anticipate this and let out a sigh. Fox could see how uncomfortable Wolf has gotten with him shuffling in his seat. He kind of felt bad for asking the lupine the sudden question but felt it had to be done.

"Alright you caught me. Where should I start…" Wolf trailed off, thinking to himself.

A moment later the waitress returned with both plates and set them down in front of them with a friendly ,"Enjoy your meal!" and left the two alone again. Fox picked up his sandwich, but set it down again feeling bad for putting Wolf on the spotlight.

"Our pasts were something and I guess because we were competitively rivals back during the war, we were always at each other's necks. And well a lot of time has passed since those days. You only know me because of our encounters. So what I'm trying to say is I want to know you better as a person."

"I understand that our past was...complicated, and everything in between was just a mess. Don't really know why you did some of the things you did but I'm sure you had your reasons for it. I'm ready and willing to put up the effort to know you better. Everyone already knows my life story thanks to the media tracking me down asking every question they could so I can't really tell you what you wouldn't already know on every website that has a page about me."

Wolf nodded his head to that. The lupine thought to himself that it must have been tough being the son of someone famous with everyone asking really intrusive question and no sense of privacy. But even then Wolf was sure Fox still managed to hide some things.

"Come to think of it, the only thing I know about you is of your recent exploits at Sargasso. Besides that it's all just speculation you know, why'd you fight for Andross? And what happened to you after that? How'd you escape the aparoid homeworld?" Fox wanted to be open-minded about all this. Maybe there was more to this space pirate turned mercenary than meets the eye.

Wolf seemed to be relieved at Fox's words and took another breath. The lupine recomposed himself and seemed ready this time for Fox's questions. He was somewhat excited that the vulpine is taking an interest in him now.

"Thank you, Fox. Well if you insist I guess we can start. There's plenty of time in the day left for chatting."


	4. Chapter 4- Another Side, Another Story

_Author's Note:_

 _It's finally here Chapter 4! Took a lot longer than I thought it would. Had some writer's bloc a few times but the main culprit was near the end. I had the perfect way to wrap up this chapter but got side-tracked and went to go take care of things, but by the time I came back I completely forgot how I was going to write the end and I just took a small break. Anyways It's done and finished so enjoy! Shout-out to a friend of mine who I deeply appreciate taking the time to help edit and **-suggest-** things and just overall helped catch some minor mistakes I missed._

 _PS. I think this chapter really showed which of the SF Game's I'm really familiar with_

* * *

"So back on Venom I was sought out by Andross's scouts."

Wolf was being escorted by Venomian Soldiers to meet some ape named Andross that had some sort of base hidden on Venom. The lupine thought that this man must have meant serious business if he had to get his own personnel to bring in a notorious space pirate for just a single contract. They walked down the hallway and entered a large room. An ape was sitting at a desk in the center. Wolf assumed that had to be Andross.

The ape gestured at the lupine to the seat opposite of the desk. Carefully, Wolf walked to the chair and sat. His eye on his surroundings in case something were to happen, even if he was easily outnumbered by the guards. This was the kind of man to not take lightly. A few moments of silence passed before Andross decided to speak.

"I don't suppose you delinquents pay attention to current events, but there is a war going on. The Cornerian army hired a mercenary group, calling it their trump card in the war, and they're destroying my fleets that I have painstakingly rallied."

Wolf took in the words and felt like he knew what was coming next.

"I've done some digging and my men tell me that you, Wolf O'donnell, are a notorious criminal and an exceptional pilot. I want you to be Venom's trump card."

Wolf eyed the primate, not buying his deal. There had to be more to it than that if he had to reach out to the lupine. If a mercenary group could defeat entire fleets from the man's army, then the lupine would much rather stay out of this conflict and let it settle itself. With the chaos he'd easily be able to sneak into Corneria and do what he pleased with their weakened military presence.

"What's in it for me? If your fleets can't stop one small group, how will I be any safer than them?" Wolf stated as plainly as he could, placing a mask of calmness between him and the intimidating ape.

Andross seemed to have anticipated this, and replied just as calmly. "I'll supply you with advanced ships,cutting-edge technology that I personally worked on. They can easily out-class any basic Cornerian ship. I'll pay you for your services and fit your entire squad with these ships. Oh, and that won't be your only reward. How does this look to you?"

As he said that, the ape reached behind his desk and pulled out a check holo-projector displaying the amount that Wolf would be paid. "My Conditions are:I'll provide the ships and two of your squad members, you'll need to find the last one yourself; I'll pay you for your services _if_ you successfully eliminate the Star Fox team."

Saying Wolf was shocked was an understatement. With this much money he could live the rest of his life comfortably and not have to rely on stealing and crime ever again. He didn't like the deal of being chosen for one side of the war, but this was one offer he couldn't dare refuse. An opportunity like this never showed up twice.

"Deal." Wolf shook hands and preparations for the formation of team Star Wolf were made.

The lupine's first recruit was a shady lizard named Leon Powalski, who revealed himself to be a pretty skilled assassin based on their little conversation, and his demonstration with incapacitating a rowdy patron at the bar they met at with barely any effort. The other two handpicked members happened to be Andross's nephew Andrew Oikonny, and a greedy pig named Pigma Dengar. Wolf knew of course that Andrew was only here on the team to keep tabs on him. He didn't completely trust Pigma entirely either considering the pig's history. Wolf just kept telling himself he'd have to deal with it for the reward.

* * *

The lupine couldn't believe what was happening. He was furious that he was losing a dog fight to this cocky, young, inexperienced pup. Someone with less flight experience than himself! He was _supposed_ to be the superior pilot. Despite all the insults he threw, that vulpine would just bounce right back at him, dealing back almost twice the damage he did to the ship. Andross's technological advantage failed to compare to skill in the end, skill that infuriating vulpine pup seemed to have a natural talent for. It wasn't long before the army he was supposed to protect and serve fell.

* * *

After the Lylat Wars, Wolf and Leon barely managed to escape the clutches of Andross's remaining army. Most of them, angered that their trump card in the war failed them, tried venting their frustration on the unlikely duo. Drifting in space near the Meteo Asteroid belt for what seemed to be weeks, they received a transmission request from a remote base called Sargasso. Wolf recognized the name as one of Andross's hidden reconnaissance stations and immediately prepared himself for conflict when the transmission opened.

"Wolf O'Donnell, is that you?" The person on the other end of the feed asked.

"Tch, so what if I am? You aren't the first to come after us, and you punks won't be the last either!" Wolf barked back, readying his ship for any confrontation.

"You must be mistaken, we don't want to fight." The voice on the other end replied smoothly. "Rather we're glad to have found you in time. All of us were moved with your leadership skills during your battles and respect your efforts to minimize casualties among us. Please, Lord O'Donnell, we'll send you our location, and you'll be welcomed here with open arms." As the transmission cut, coordinates displayed themselves on the screen, pinpointing where the hidden station was located.

Wolf took a moment to think about this. His Wolfen was in pretty bad shape after his last battle with team Star Fox, and Sargasso wasn't too far off. The lupine believed that the people remaining on the station were telling the truth, sharing the coordinates to that base was a big sign of trust in him. With Pigma's disappearance as soon as the war was over, and Andrew rallying the remnants of Andross's army, It was just himself and Leon drifting in space. The lizard was a loyal one, admittedly, and Wolf was surprised he had followed him this far despite keeping his motivations hidden. The lupine respected him for sticking with him this long. After some thought, Wolf relayed the message to Leon and they made their way to Sargasso to start over yet again.

As the two docked into the station, they were greeted by a group of apes that seemed happy enough to see them. Wolf took a look at the station, scoping out his surroundings, still trying to plan how things would work out here now with him there. The station seemed pretty bare for it's size and in bad condition.

One of the soldiers - he assumed was the commanding officer - spoke up first to him.

"It is an honor to meet you, Wolf O'Donnell. We may have lost the war but our loyalty will forever be to you. Boss!" He saluted as he said that last part, the rest of the group following as well

Wolf kept a straight face, but internally felt flattered by the recognition. However, this couldn't go on.

"At ease," he said, pausing to cough and clear his throat. "Your loyalty and appreciation is admirable, but the truth of the matter is that I still failed in my mission." He paused again, letting the information sink in, before continuing, "I'm going to fix up my ship, then I'm out of here. I don't wish to continue the war." Wolf turned to leave to search for any spare tools to patch up his ship but felt a hand grab his arm. He turned to see Leon step in close and bring his mouth to his ear.

"Wolf, this is your chance." The lizard whispered to him. "I don't know what you plan to do back out in space but think of it. These people are pledging their loyalty to you for your skills alone. Even if you failed the mission, they all still admire you as a leader. Not for what you couldn't achieve." Leon took a step back and watched Wolf to let him decide what to do next.

* * *

"Alright, that takes care of _that_ mess." Wolf said with finality, walking back to the docks where Leon and Panther waited next to the Wolfens. Sure he may not be proud of some of the jobs he took, but some jobs paid well enough to keep Sargasso functioning. Over the past few years, he had rallied enough people to join them and organized them to repair Sargasso Station. It would soon become a fully functioning base again, and Wolf was secretly proud of that achievement.

He'd have to thank Leon sometime for his advice all those years ago, although Wolf had never really figured out if Leon had any ulterior motives. Either way the lupine was somewhat glad to have someone like that with him. Team Star Wolf's newest request on the other hand, Panther Caruso, was certainly a charming and more open character. Wolf had stumbled upon him one drunken night at a bar, the same one where he had met Leon. Annoyed with his flirtatious nature, he had challenged the feline to a quick one on one duel in their ships. Panther hadn't drunk as much as Wolf, but Wolf had a lifetime of skill and his Wolfen's superior build, and felt confident he could teach that cat a lesson. Despite that, they both came extremely close in the duel before Leon broke them up, and minutes after suggested recruiting him into Star Wolf. Since then it's been the three of them all those years. Leon was the quiet one, with good advice when it mattered, and Panther balanced him out with a boisterous yet charming personality.

Wolf snapped out of his musing as he approached the docks, and focused back to his surroundings. He caught a flick of movement from Panther's tail, and years of knowing the feline's habits told him he was feeling apprehensive.

Wolf grabbed Panther's shoulder and made him turn to face him. "Somethin' happen?"

"Well, Wolf it seems we have a, uh...situation." To the naked eye Panther seemed calmed and collected, but to lupine he seemed to be practically dancing from nervousness."Sargasso has sent out a distress call to us, we were waiting for you to get back before we left. It's Star Fox." Leon finished for Panther, poking his head out from his Wolfen.

Wolf was stunned when he heard the name of Star Fox come from Leon. The lupine had left Fox's team well enough alone for almost 7 years now, there couldn't possibly be any reason why Fox would come chasing him down. Wolf could only think of the bounty he still had over his head, but ultimately decided it was worthless to be thinking now when his crew needed him. Wolf snapped back to reality and jumped back into his ship and flew off before the other two could react. Wolf had already failed an army, even if it was a madman's, but this time things were different. Wolf wouldn't live with himself if he let honest men and women that served him of their own free will to die just trying to get back at his rival for dishonoring him in a time long gone.

* * *

As the Great Fox was leaving Sargasso's airspace after getting the information Fox needed, Wolf docked to check on the station's condition. The alarms were blaring that indicated fires in certain parts of the station, the crew running about trying to put them out. Another group was moving about the debris clearing them from the station and salvaging what they could. An officer brushed passed the lupine and he grabbed him aside.

"Status report." Wolf barked out.

"There are contained fires in parts of the station from destroyed machinery, they should be dealt with soon sir!"

"Are there any casualties?"

"No fatal casualties. The only reported injuries are severe burns, and we have a room full of the squad that's unconscious from stunned blaster shots trying to fend off Star Fox members that came aboard."

"Alright… carry on then." Wolf stated to the busy officer and let him continue on his way.

It'd cost a bit to replace all of the destroyed machinery but Wolf was content there were no deaths. After having a moment to think he asked Leon to do some information digging on Star Fox and to keep an eye on them. With Star Fox on the move again that just meant trouble would follow, and something big was going to happen sooner or later.

* * *

Wolf received a distress signal, from General Pepper of all people, which must have meant things were truly desperate if they had to reach out to him with Star Fox there in the field. The team was having trouble taking on the sheer number of the aparoids invading Corneria and Wolf knew he had to hurry from Sargasso. He'd never thought that he would be returning to aid the planet that placed his bounty on him. If Corneria fell now, it wouldn't be long before the entire system fell to this aparoid menace.

Breaking through the atmosphere, it took seconds for his ship to stabilize when he eyed Fox running up to the roof of a building, blaster out and shooting at innumerable enemies, enemies that had apparently totalled his Arwing just a few meters from him. Wolf shifted his ship's engines to maximum strength and activated his boosters in a last ditch effort to make it in time. He opened his communications channels with the local air-space to contact Fox's comms.

"You're a pitiful sight pup" Wolf sneered at Fox. To think the great Ace Pilot would let his guard down in a time like this.

"Wolf?" Fox said, confused, after spotting his wolfen.

Wolf didn't respond to Fox and charged his main lasers, targeting all the aparoids surrounding the vulpine. As soon as his screen has indicated that all targets were locked on, he let loose a barrage of fire at the ugly bugs. Fox started to run for cover ultimately jumping off the building, but Wolf made sure he was at the right place at the right time. It was a close call that the wolfen managed to just barely reach Fox as he jumped, landing on his ship's wing.

"Wolf...What're you doing here?" Fox asked again, his face just full of shock at seeing his rival save him.

Of all things to say would be that. Wolf made sure that Leon kept an eye on the mission contracts Star Fox took in the event something big happened during of one of their missions, because of the whole Aparoid Invasion. When the Great Fox took off to Corneria out of blue, he knew what was next and tailed them straight away from Sargasso.

"You're the one who dropped in unannounced. If anyone's gonna tan your hide, it's gonna be me." Wolf replied smugly with Panther and Leon chiming in as well with their own remarks. Wolf noticed that Fox was still staring at him and felt warmly uncomfortable. Soon the rest of Star Fox joined them in the air to provide cover.

"Wipe that stupid look off your mug. We're not done yet!" Wolf barked at Fox. Fox momentarily pulled out the plasma cannon from his pack device and shot at the aparoids circling Wolf's wolfen. Wolf continued cruising around the city allowing Fox to mow down their numbers. He had to admit that the vulpine was a good shot. , Suddenly, a flagship came speeding towards them. Taking a closer look as it closed the distance, Wolf noticed the aparoids assimilated into the ship's cockpit.

"T-that's the general's flagship!" Peppy said over the comms.

"It's too late...They took me...My body is no longer my own…Destroy this ship...Destroy me Fox!" General Pepper's voice struggled to get these words out between heavy breaths.

Fox faltered, refusing to hurt his old friend. Wolf couldn't risk having his ship destroyed and the rest of the team's chances of surviving to be jeopardized because of Fox.

"Fox, that's the truth of it. Accept it. You've got to do it." Wolf assured Fox.

The vulpine took the shot.

* * *

The battle was a tense one. The flagship sent blow after blow to Wolf's ship but luckily his shields took most of the hits leaving the hull intact. Wolf found a rooftop to land on and set his ship down.

"I owe you my life Wolf. Thanks."

"I didn't come here to save you." Wolf said looking away from Fox.

"Even so…" Fox trailed off and leaped off the Wolfen.

"Fox let me give you one piece of advice. Don't hesitate! When the time comes, just act!"

Wolf started up his engines again and blasted off. Hoping Fox took the advice to heart. If Wolf had hesitated at all in his life, he probably would have missed many opportunities. But at the same time he wouldn't have gotten as many if he hadn't taken certain chances either.

* * *

Wolf dodged and weaved, pushing his ship to its limit, Leon and Panther not to far behind doing the same. Wolf had just grabbed the attention of the aparoids blocking the path to the Queen Aparoid, as flying through them that triggered an automatic response for the group to chase his ship. Leon and Panther joined their leader to help lessen the load and urged Star Fox to launch the self destruct code into the queen. Fox understood and sped through with a mission to finish. Once team Star Fox was out of sight, Star Wolf lingered behind dragging the attention of the aparoids to prevent them from going after Fox. Suddenly after some time, without warning, the aparoids immediately stopped chasing them and bolted down after Star Fox. Wolf was caught off guard but knew the change in behavior must have meant something happened.

Wolf took this as their cue and ordered Leon and Panther for immediate evacuation. They turned their ships back the way they came and blasted through. The aparoids completely ignored the retreating Wolfens, Wolf noticing that all the aparoids were all heading to the center of the planet's core. Fox must have completed his mission if the aparoid are acting this desperately. To his horror he saw up ahead that the barrier covering the entrance was still functioning with the battered Great Fox caught in it.

Leon and Panther started to look to Wolf, seeking guidance for this dead end when suddenly a blast shook their ships. Suspending their ships with their engines in a low power state and their brakes, they shifted to look back and saw a speck of light in the distance. Gradually the light grew larger and larger before a roaring noise overcame them.

Wolf started to panic and turned his ship towards the barrier and starting firing his lasers. It was a futile attempt but he had to do something - he couldn't accept dying here! Another blast shook their ships and the barrier dissipated. Seizing this moment he powered on his engines to the max and flew out, followed by his team. In the corner of his eye he saw what looked like the head of the Great Fox separated from the body following them. He chuckled to himself, impressed that the hare didn't give up. Soon the aparoid homeworld was enveloped in a blinding blast which marked the end of the Aparoids Invasion.

Wolf didn't want to overstay his welcome and decided it was best to return to Sargasso. The hare seemed to do the same and flew off in a different direction, hoping that old man would find the rest of Star Fox.

* * *

The Lupine wasn't sure if it was because of the influence from being around Fox three weeks prior but something inside of him had changed. Usually he'd do dirty jobs, get paid, and repeat. But as the invasion had done more damage than the military had thought, leaving them spread thin across the system trying to recover, all of the clients' job offers ranged from pillaging destroyed bases for parts, stealing from vulnerable relief ships, and other such activities. When before they seemed as jobs that "had to be done", now the thought of them tied a knot in Wolf's stomach. However, one entry did catch his eye. It was a scheduled attack by some bandit group, rallying people to join them to attack a ship that was detailed to carry supplies to aid Corneria's recovery from Katina. This group was gaining numbers quickly and was going to happen _soon_.

Wolf balled his fists. With Corneria's military basically being non-existent, more bandit mercs were becoming bold enough to just list their plans. He remembered the little favor he asked Leon to do and checked on Star Fox. Apparently they had a mission to assist the relief efforts on a planet called Sauria. Wolf grumbled to himself and called Leon and Panther together. They jumped in their Wolfens and set off to where the ship was scheduled to be attacked, hoping he'd make it in time.

* * *

The trio returned to Sargasso in defeat. Wolf was notably more upset than usual and skulked off into the station up to his room. Panther tried to follow after the lupine but Leon stopped him, knowing that Wolf needed some space to cool down. Wolf didn't know what change came over him, he would usually do any job just because he had to to keep Sargasso running and working. Sure he'd done the occasional assassination because one merc group had it out for another or deliver questionable goods to shady places. But today, seeing that many bandits attack an already helpless ship really rubbed him the wrong way. It was like seeing a person get attacked by a group, trying their best to fight some off but eventually laying down to accept defeat while the group would still beat him when he's down. That's what it felt like looking at Corneria. That planet and it's military has taken a heavy hit and now bandits were beating it while it's down. Wolf knew that if Corneria didn't completely rebuild in time to bring back some order into the system, bad people will show up and just cause more chaos, and it'll be another power struggle waiting to happen. A knock at the door interrupted Wolf's thoughts and he opened the door to find Leon standing there.

"Wolf you'll want to see this." Leon stated, pulling out his communicator and turned it to project a holographic-screen displaying a headline that read: "Star Wolf's Change of Heart?"

Intrigued, Wolf told Leon to open the article. He skimmed through it and a particular section caught his eye. It was a video feed of his ship that captured him fending off the massive amount of bandits on-screen. There was a reporter analyzing the feed speaking over the video.

"Now at first glance when you see Star Wolf you'd think bad guys, or thugs. They are notorious for committing crimes and many other shady activities. But today they proved us wrong yet again."

Wolf enlarged the video feed to get a better look at the reporter's video, his heart swelling for some unknown reason to him

"Last Month was the beginning of the dreadful Aparoid Invasion, all seemed lost when Star Fox saved us all. But according to their statements, they wouldn't have succeeded if they didn't have the aid of Star Wolf. Now that sounds a bit far fetched that our heroes would rely a group of high priority thugs were a key factor in this whole debacle. Already there are theories floating around online."

"Hmph, well sorry if letting the system fall would be the proof you'd need to be proven wrong…" Wolf grumbled under his breath.

"Just give it a minute" Leon insisted, and continued the video feed.

"But just today a relief ship from Katina scheduled to be arriving in Corneria to provide what rations it could to assist the citizens was attacked by a massive amount of bandits. The military has disclosed that they've lost contact with most of the fleet until several surviving pilots returned."

"With permission, the military has released these videos, which we will now be showing."

The screen faded then flashed on, showing the fleeing pilot. During the feed the fighter was performing evasive maneuvers as best as it could in its current state when suddenly an explosion rang out and a Wolfen speed directly in front of the pilot's ship shooting down oncoming bandits.

"Now with what you saw and what we're talking about, keep that in mind as we quickly take a look at this other video."

The camera panned away from the reporter and showed a shorter video feed of what was clearly a Wolfen firing down groups of bandits and covering the faltering cargo ship.

"What a shocking play of events. We now have more definite proof that Star Wolf may be turning over a new leaf. We've already heard the endorsements from Corneria's Heroes setting the nail in place but these new videos really hammered down these thoughts. What could this mean for Star Wolf? Will this change the tides in mercenary world forever? Tune in next time on…"

Wolf was speechless, someone had managed to survive that mess of an accident and now the media is all over it. He gave Leon a look and this was the rarer times the lizard was actually nervous.

"Wolf this came out an hour ago, we've started getting calls from military groups for escort missions and scouting. Do you know what this could mean for us?"

"Yeah I do…" Wolf replied. This was the perfect opportunity. With the army spread this thin and bandits attacking and doing as they please, Wolf could take on these well paying jobs by the military. They made you look good too. And with the media keeping a close eye on him it won't be long before the public start noticing their deeds.

"Leon go get Panther, and tell the crew to prepare for take off. We've got work to do." With a renewed sense of determination, Wolf set out hoping the system would be ready for what's coming.

* * *

"And that about sums of everything up, I don't think I've left anything important out." Wolf placed his utensils down, waiting for a response from the vulpine.

"Hmmm." Fox was mindlessly stabbing the salad with his fork, thinking over the stories the lupine just told. He couldn't help but feel nostalgic when Wolf retold of the time they fought together. Desperate times called for desperate measures and in that case the Star Wolf team came to assist Star Fox.

"The world works in mysterious ways... Y'know, if we hadn't had this talk, ten years ago I'd have kept thinking of you as some shady space pirate just doing what he pleased for money or personal gain. But it never occurred to me that you were just doing what you had to just to get by, oh uh that just sounded kind of ignorant coming from me. Sorry about that."

"Hmph, apology accepted" Wolf joked, forcing a gruff voice.

Fox was relieved that his assumptions about Wolf weren't completely true, but the times have changed and the lupine had grown into a completely different person than before. Wolf leaned forward towards Fox and whispered to him.

"Hey, I hate to do this but I only had today for some free time to come for a chat. Me and the crew got another job to take care of, why don't we exchange contact info and we can pick this up another time?"

It took a few seconds before Fox registered what Wolf just asked him, so he fumbled in his pants to pull out his cell phone.

"Oh right! Uh, here this is my phone number and this is my office number. But next time let me know when you're visiting or at least tell Fay."

"Heh, what is she, your secretary?" Wolf teased.

"With how well she takes care of things, I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't the whole department's secretary."

Wolf briefly shared his contact details when his phone buzzed suddenly. He glanced at it and stood, placing a some bills on the table.

"Well that's my cue, sorry I couldn't stay longer but time is ticking. It was nice talking to ya pup." Wolf stood up and dropped some credits on the table next to Fox. "That should be enough for my half of the check, I'll be seeing ya." And with that Wolf left the bar. Fox didn't realize how late it was and quickly gathered his stuff, then counted the bills. He chuckled as he realized that apparently Wolf had paid for the whole meal. The vulpine called the waitress for the check then left shortly afterwards.

On the drive back to his apartment, Fox decided to skip the park for today. He had a lot on his mind after that surprise visit, but the lupine seemed to take up most of his thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5- An Old Friend

_Author's Note:_

 _Well after getting through some writer's block and procrastination. I finally am putting out chapter 5! It's a bit rushed though so it's a bit sloppier in some places. I just felt the need to just get a chapter out as soon as I could. My plan is to have at least a the next 5 chapters to finish up Wolf and Fox before I begin any other couples/characters. I've sorta planned the first 10 chapters of this fic to be for that pairing as the main focus for the story but after that it'll be one-offs and maybe more mini-arcs!_

 _PS. because personal life issues stuff is happening I may or may not be updating as often as before but I will try to keep an eye on working on this when I can in the future_

* * *

The vulpine opened his eyes, confused and unsure of his surroundings. All he could see was darkness all around him, no sign of any light that would reveal where he was. He took a few steps fumbling through the darkness when suddenly an explosion rang out in the distance. Fox looked over to the explosion, but then was blinded by a bright light and the darkness vanished. Moments later he heard his team's voice over through his headpiece.

"Fox what are you doing! You need to get those radar jamming aparoids if you want us to be able to fly closer!"

Falco yelled at the vulpine, knocking him out of his dazed state. Suddenly it came rushing back to Fox.

 _That's right! I came on foot to Corneria City to take out the radar jammers so my team could fly into the city airspace to clear the remaining aparoids,_ Fox thought to himself.

The vulpine made haste and started running through the streets, blaster in hand, shooting at any aparoid he could see until he located the jamming aparoids levitating high up near the skyscrapers. He took aim at the jammers and shot, but his blaster wasn't made for the range as the projectile veered off his mark. The vulpine was running out of options and had to think of something quick. Fox spotted a few fallen military soldiers a few blocks down and ran to their bodies hoping they still had what he needed, luckily one of them had a high powered rifle.

The vulpine took what he needed and went searching for the target again. He spotted it then took aim before pulling the trigger, watching the aparoid in his sights blast into pieces.

"Alright that's the first one, now to find the others…"

* * *

Fox cleared the area of the final jammer, restoring radar functionality for his team. He radioed ROB to send his Arwing to a nearby landing pad on a nearby building and started sprinting down the seemingly bare streets now that his team was closer to the city drawing the aparoids' attention.

 _Okay I just need to reach my Arwing and join my team,_ Fox thought to himself, as he ran up the steps leading to the top of the building. The Arwing was only a few meters away from him when suddenly aparoids jumped from the sides, destroying his Arwing.

 _This is bad,_ Fox couldn't believe he didn't notice the aparoids sneaking around him. _Damn, my team still isn't within city limits yet. I can't blast my way out of this, there's too many of them to handle._ Fox turned to run back down, but at the bottom of the steps he could see more aparoids climbing up towards him, effectively surrounding him. Slowly the vulpine edged backwards, when Fox spotted a Wolfen flying in the distance, towards him for that matter. Then he heard the pilot speak through his headset.

"You're a pitiful sight _pup_ ," Wolf sneered.

Hearing that comment could only mean it was one person, _He was the only one to call him a pup._ "W-wolf?" Fox began to question the pilot when suddenly he was falling. Everything was happening too quickly for him to keep up, but that wasn't right. He didn't remember doing any rash actions that would cause him to fall. The next thing he knew, he was sitting in his Arwing blocked by a wall of aparoids stopping them from reaching the Queen Aparoid.

More thoughts came rushing back into Fox's mind. _Argh there's no way past these aparoids._ Fox couldn't get past the aparoids without getting their attention, then three Wolfens flew past his ship right through the aparoids in front of them. Just like that, all those aparoids reacted and chased those ships. Wolf's voice barked back at Fox.

"Don't just sit there you useless _pup_ , I'm buying you time to get to the queen. Now get moving!"

Fox didn't bother to respond, he grabbed hold of his controls and blasted through the passageway. The vulpine was jerked back by the knock-back of the sudden speed he was going, but instead of hitting his seat, he started to fall further than he thought. He lost his grip on his controls and soon he was falling backwards again before he landed against the booth's cushions.

The lupine looked up at Fox and confused at his sudden movement and figured something was wrong with him and spoke up

"You alright there Fox? They didn't put anything weird in the food did they?"

"Hmm? Oh! Oh no that's not it I was just thinking and uh…"

Then Wolf's phone buzzed, interrupting Fox's train of thought.

"Sorry _pup,_ but I've gotta run. Time is short today, but I'd really enjoy coming out again next time."The lupine stood to leave.

Fox wanted to ask him _why_ he was always called 'Pup' to so badly ask that one question, but his voice failed him. The vulpine sat as Wolf walked through the front doors. At that point time seemed to slow, Fox was unsettled and noticed that every action that occurred: silverware scraping on plates, glasses being placed on tables, and doors shutting, seemed to get progressively louder. This effect started to give the vulpine a headache and he looked to the door, a feeling of dread welling in his chest as the door was still slowly closing, creaking ever slowly until it finally shut with a loud click.

* * *

 _ **BOOM**_

Fox was awoken by the sudden sound of thunder, jolting up in a cold sweat. He was a bit disoriented by the strange dream and took a second to realize that he was still in bed. _What a strange dream,_ Fox thought.

"Hm, I probably did eat something weird today." Fox checked the time and saw it was only a little past eleven at night. The vulpine grabbed some sweatpants and got up to grab a snack. He took a seat in the dining room, munching on a sandwich he put together, just thinking about his recent dream. He couldn't really consider it a nightmare but it did help point out _some_ things to him. Most of the dreams included Wolf, Fox could tell that much. But why was he dreaming about Wolf all of a sudden? He couldn't understand why that wolf was occupying so much of his thoughts lately. Fox concluded he probably was still recovering from the surprise visit and decided to leave it at that.

The vulpine was on his way back to bed when he decided to grab his phone and saw he had a few messages. Some of them were from old friends, most of the others was junk. As he was going through some of them, mostly just Falco and Slippy talking about meeting at the reunion. _The 10th anniversary reunion,_ Fox thought, _If we're all meeting there then maybe I can talk to Krystal about all this._

The event was only a few days away, everyone should be in town for this which was the perfect opportunity for him.

* * *

Fox was pulling up to a restaurant called 'Eden's delight' which was a pretty nice place in Corneria known for it's fresh produce, and antique aesthetics. The vulpine only came here one other time because he was forced here on a blind date by Peppy. He brushed that thought aside and walked into the lobby, spotting Krystal and walked up to greet her.

"Ah, Krystal! It's been a while." He walked up to her and gave her a friendly hug.

"It's good to see you too Fox!" Krystal greeted back warmly. They both made their way to the receptionist and asked for a table. Soon afterwards they were promptly seated.

"So Fox, I take it that you're finally calling in for that 'talk' I offered you those years ago?" Krystal stated.

"Hehe, you read me like an open book." The vulpine nervously chuckled. Embarrassed he couldn't ease in the talk during idle chat.

"Oh it's not like that. It's kind of like reading a person's face. You can tell a bit from how a person is doing by reading their expression. Whether they're happy or sad. It's sort of the same, I see the mood and intentions of people. It radiates an aura and I can pick up on those auras."

"O-oh. Sorry I didn't know it worked like that."

"Oh don't apologize, I suppose I never really told many people how it worked. Now that that's out of the way, where should we begin?" Krystal smiled sympathetically at Fox.

Fox sighed and rubbed his head, embarrassed that Krystal read him so easily. Of course with her telepathy that sort of helped make it easier for him to convey his messages to her.

"Well, last night…"


	6. Chapter 6- Catching Up

"And that's the gist of it." Fox finished explaining to Krystal as he tapped his fingers together unsure of what she'd say next. The vixen put her glass down and opened her mouth as to speak but then closed it again as if to think on what she was to say next.

"Well Fox," She started, "It was about time that Wolf finally decided to come speak to you." The vixen finally said. That wasn't really what the vulpine expected her to say, but the 'finally' bit caught his ear and he inquired. "What do you mean ' _finally_ '?" Fox asked, the vixen clearly knowing something that he didn't.

Krystal had a look of sudden surprise then just chuckled at Fox. "Oh that's right! While you were working on getting your teaching licenses, that was around the time Star Wolf started getting a positive reputation. After Falco went up to join them in their line of work, Wolf asked Falco to meet all of us and it all ended up working out. He talked to each of us about his side of the story and formally apologized to the team for the Lylat wars. Of course I wasn't in the team during the Wars but he felt the need to say it to me too."

"Hmm, I'm glad Wolf decided to patch things up between all of us. It's true he _did_ cause us some trouble back then, even if he had his own reasons for it. It was nice of him to go out of his way to tell us all this." Fox grinned to himself, feeling a bit proud that Wolf finally turned over a new leaf.

" _Still,"_ Krystal remarked, "You could have done a better job of keeping in touch with us Fox. I mean after we knew you got your licenses, you could have at least called us. I mean a few emails to us was nice enough because of your busy schedule, but c'mon we all miss meeting up with the old team sometimes." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice with an intense stare at the vulpine.

Fox had to admit that he did do a really bad job of keeping in touch with his old friends. He'd reply to a few emails that he'd receive every now and then, return a call when he was free, meet up with someone if they happened to be in town. Fox tried to keep himself busy all the time with teaching, tutoring, and planning because it just helped keep his mind off things. "Krystal, you're right. I… I guess that keeping myself busy was just an excuse. The truth of it is that," Fox hesitated for a second. He fidgeted with his hands a bit before he continued, "I'm scared to be close to people again. Back when Star Fox was up and running, it was all about just trying to maintain my father's legacy. And at the same time while trying to do this, I was just terrified of losing my friends. All of my close friends fighting with me, in space against serious dangers that not all of us could have possibly made it back. That thought alone just scares me." Fox paused a second to look at Krystal, she had her full attention on him as he began again.

"When Star Fox saved the entire system from the Aparoids, I felt that was a big enough impact to leave Star Fox in the history books. I felt that I finally lived up to my father's name and because of that I didn't want to endanger anyone close to me, since having a name like that can bring unwanted eyes on you for many reasons." He shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. He took a sip from his glass and decided he should wrap this up before he began rambling any longer, "So that's also kind of why I settled down too. I just wanted to get back into a civilian life as much as I could and just draw this attention away. I mean I'm sure now with Star Wolf taking the reigns that they have some hidden enemies."

"Oh Fox, if this is how you felt then I really wish you would have told us sooner. Everyone on Star Fox is like family, but I'm glad you told me this Fox. Just so you know, we're here for you and now that lifestyle was ages ago so there's no need to worry about that now." Kystal reassured the vulpine before continuing, "Hmmm, it is true that Wolf has some unwanted attention at his 'agency' as he likes to call it. But Sargasso is well maintained now from what I was told, he doesn't really need to worry about micromanaging it so much now. He has competent people under him now that take care of the dirty work for him when it arrives. Wolf really only takes on the seriously dangerous jobs that he knows only he could do. But even then his base is basically self-sufficient so he had plenty of times to make up with you. I even urged him to talk to you when we were at past celebrations too, but he always avoided you for some reason." Krystal stopped talking to let her last words sink in.

Fox felt embarrassed that he didn't notice the lupine at all those events he attended back then, but more so about Wolf connected with the rest of his team before him just now. The vulpine sighed and started ,"Well that explains why Peppy couldn't find Wolf when I asked him. I saw him briefly but everytime I tried to talk to him, he just kind of disappeared." Fox reached in his mind to try and find any reason why Wolf would avoid him. It's true their past was complicated but even then, this was all during peace so he had every opportunity back then to patch things up.

"Fox" Krystal said, snapping the vulpine from his thoughts.

"W-what?"

"Y'know I make it a habit to not pry but just this once I did. And I know for a fact he has no ill-intent for you so there's no need to overthink. I mean I can't really put it into words but when I approached Wolf those times...He certainly had some _strong_ feelings about you." Krystal then apologized again for intruding. But Fox let it slide this time, it saved a lot of time of him having to say unnecessary words.

"He doesn't still have some sort of underlying grudge of our rivalry does he? I mean we settled this the other night, clearing up our misconceptions with each other."

"No it's not that..." She thought to herself for a second before going on again, "Tell you what, tomorrow night when it's the 10th Anniversary I'll drag him with me and you can speak to him then. Wolf usually just appears for the media to see him then sulks around in a corner somewhere drinking as much as he can. So this way you two can talk more and maybe sort out these _feelings_ between you two. I mean the only way to be comfortable around someone you usually aren't is to just be around them right? So just chat and maybe these feelings will just go away." Krystal quickly called the waiter and paid the bill before standing up to give Fox another friendly hug.

"Well it was nice talking to you Fox, but I have to go meet with other people today. It was so nice to see you again and I hope you can make it through this" And with that she turned and walked off.

Fox chuckled to himself again. This was the second night in a row he didn't get a say in paying the dinner bill.

* * *

Fox arrived in his apartment and was considerably more tired than usual. All this thinking of Wolf has had him a bit more drained than usual. He still couldn't think of the _feelings_ Krystal so wanted them to get over. Sure he accepted Wolf how he is now after their meet up a couple nights ago, so it should have just been that. He put their past behind them and was ready to move on but was Wolf not ready? Did he still have something to settle? Fox decided that was enough thinking for the night and decided to head to bed early. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, which reminded the vulpine he had to send out some busy work to his students for being gone that day. He sent out his emails and then called up Peppy.

"Yo, Pep."

"Ah Fox! How've you been?"

"It's been good Peppy, listen the ceremony tomorrow is just like usual right?"

"Oh uh, yes yes. It's just that since it's been almost a decade, the media has been bugging us about our _personal_ lives and of course we don't disclose some details, but we figured we'd help sate their interest with a little couple's dance. Falco is going to be there with Katt, Slippy with Amanda. Oh uh, Krystal is going with Panther just so you know."

"Oh jeez, well this isn't mandatory is it?"

"Well I've already told everyone else to bring someone, I mean this isn't exactly mandatory but this was just something for the public too."

"Alright, well I'll figure something out then. If that's all that's different then I guess I'll rest up for tomorrow. I'll see you then Peppy."

"Okay Fox. It was nice talking to you, and have a good night."

Fox ended the call and thought on it for a moment. _Don't really have anyone to bring unlike everyone else. Wow I guess keeping myself busy also made me too busy for a romantic life._ Fox sighed and went to bed, there's no use staying up thinking about it now. He set his alarm and decided to rest for tomorrow.

* * *

 _Author's note:_

 _This chapter was more for me to practice characters talking to each other. But just dialogue in general. Anyways the pieces have been set and the wheels are in motion. Stay tuned for next time!_

 _PS. I want to thank those who have left reviews, It's helped considerably and I just want to say I really appreciate it! Also I need to figure out a schedule to uploading these, rather than just spitting them out whenever._


	7. Chapter 7- The Interview

Fox awoke to the sound of his alarm-clock blaring on his night stand next to his face. He sleepily swatted at the clock until the alarm stopped and laid in bed for a few more minutes just thinking about the day ahead of him.

 _The Anniversary event is being held tonight, guess I can grab something to eat before heading out to the dry cleaners to grab my suit. Going to have to call off class today but I'm sure the class will enjoy the early weekend._ Fox got up noticing it was already half past six and made his way to his bathroom to get ready for the day. He took a brief shower, then started drying off his fur as he got out as best he could before brushing it. Smoothing out his fur until he deemed it was presentable enough and exited the bathroom.

The vulpine threw on something simple to wear: a plain green polo, and a pair of jeans. He made his way to his laptop he had set in the living room and sent out emails to his students, wishing them a good early weekend and to study for their upcoming test. Fox was scrolling through his inbox and saw he got a recent one from Falco and Slippy. They were both online so he decided to chat up with Slippy first for a bit.

"Hey Slippy, how've you been?" Fox typed out.

"Heya Fox! I'm doing well. Have you heard about the event tonight? Apparently the City Council set it up. Seems like a glorified dinner party to me though." Slippy sent back moments later.

"Oh yeah that. I talked to Peppy a bit about it. What's up with the media suddenly taking an interest with us?"

"Oh that, I talked to a few others about it. Since Star Fox disbanded and went under the radar, lot's of strange and obscure rumors have spread about us. Like for example when Falco left to work with Wolf, a lot of people assumed you and him got into some nasty disagreement. So what Peppy has set up is to have a few live interviews from various outlets and we're just to let them talk to us to clear these up. Rumors tend to pile up over time and I guess the old man just wanted some peace since he's been in the group the longest."

 _If that's all it was about then they could have just had the interviews at more convenient times._ Fox thought to himself after hearing the details from the toad. _Hm if it's just interviews then why did Peppy also set up a dance?_

"Peppy also mentioned a dance, what's up with that? If all we're doing is interviews then a dance wouldn't really be appropriate for something like this would it?" Fox sent back out. He stared back at the screen, patiently waiting for Slippy's reply.

"Peppy told me that it's to commemorate all those who were lost during that time. It's just a formal slow dance and then Peppy is going to be saying a closing speech for it. As soon as his speech is over we'll have a few moments to enjoy ourselves then we can call it a night."

Fox nodded to himself thinking on what Slippy told him. _Okay so it's just something simple. Good because I can't dance at all. Hmm I still need to bring someone to dance with. I'll figure it out when I get there._

"Alright alright, I'm a little bit out of it but who else is going to be there besides the old gang?"

"Besides the old Star Fox team, Pepper is also coming to speak on behalf of the Cornerian military. Peppy is just sticking to his speech about us and the future. You know the usual. You're going to have to say your part for this too because of course you're representing as the former Star Fox leader. As for me I'm also representing Space Dynamics. I know Krystal asked Falco to bring Wolf with him this time. Usually that lupine just dodges and even when he does come, he hides away somewhere. Leon dodged, he said he'd rather look out after Sargasso with most of Star Wolf out and about."

Fox read the message he received from Slippy when Falco sent him a message.

"Hey Fox, with everyone being in town for this little get together I figured we'd meet a bit beforehand just to have a chat."

"I'm actually about to head out. Want to meet somewhere?"

"How about that favorite bar of yours? I'm not too far from it so it's convenient."

"Sounds good, I'll be there in 20 minutes"

With that he closed Falco's chat window and checked back on Slippy's unread message.

"There's also going to be other many corporations with their representatives there to discuss how they dealt with the invasion and how they've help with recovery et cetera."

"Geez with that many people here it'll turn into a 'I did this to help the cause, what did you do' kind of deal."

"Isn't that what it always comes down to in the end? It's just a more professional way of saying it really."

"Hey it's been nice chatting but I gotta head out."

"No problem Fox, pleasure is mine. Take care now!"

"You too! I'll see you later tonight."

And with that Fox closed the chat window and turned off his computer, pulling out his phone to see it was only seven. The vulpine made his way out the door, locking it behind him as he made his way to his car.

* * *

Fox entered the bar and scanned the diner for a certain avian. Eventually the vulpine decided to take a seat at the bar and message Falco that he had arrived.

"Hey Falco I'm at the bar, just letting you know I made it here."

"Alright I'll be there in a few. Gotta finish up talking with Wolf, I'd be there sooner if he didn't drag me away."

"Okay see you soon."

Fox put his phone away after sending that and sat quietly for a few minutes. _I wonder what Falco wants to talk about. It's about time we caught up, our schedules have both been out of sync for a while so now's a good as time as any._ The vulpine thought to himself about this, losing himself to his thoughts not noticing a certain waitress coming his way.

"Hey there !" A certain Lynx greeted cheerily.

"Hello Miyu." Fox jumped in his seat then politely replied, nodding at her.

"Big date tonight huh? Geez your boyfriend wouldn't stop pestering me last week."

"Oh? I'm not dating anyone yet." Fox stared at the feline, puzzled.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to assume. That Wolf fellow last week said he was acquainted with you so we chatted a bit. With the way he talked and asked about you, it sure sounded like it."

" _Asked_ about what?"

"Oh it's nothing too personal, just asking if you've been around and all that jazz. I know my fair share of men and gals who've fallen hopelessly in love. I can see it in their _eyes_." The lynx joked, waving her hands in the air for emphasis. Fox could believe Miyu having experience in this, she did have the looks for it to happen more than once. He chuckled at her silly gesture and asked her for one of the bar's morning special. A sandwich complemented with pancakes and sliced assorted fruits. The lynx exited the bar the send the order to the kitchen and chatted up some other patrons as the vulpine waited for his meal.

 _Now that's some insight,_ Fox thought. _This sounds like jumping to conclusions but there's no way Wolf is interested in me is there? I mean he DID kind of vent to me the other night which I guess made us closer in some sense. But that seems a bit far fetched to think he'd be interested in me all of a sudden._ The sound of the diner's door bell ringing broke the vulpine from his train of thought and he looked over to see the avian he was supposed to meet. He stepped into the bar, spotting Fox, and made his way towards him. Fox also saw another familiar face that belonged to an old friend, it was Bill Grey.

"Hey there Fox, hope you didn't mind me dragging another friend along."

"Bill! It's been too long!" The vulpine got up and gave him a friendly hug that the other canine seemed to happily receive.

"It's good to see you too Fox, we've all been busy." Bill chuckled, giving the vulpine a pat on the back before seating himself next to him, Falco sitting on the opposite side of Fox.

"So Falco, what'd you want to _talk_ about? I doubt this is just a simple catching-up deal between old pals, something must be up for this to be happening before the event tonight." Fox eyed the avian.

"Okay you got me, but c'mon we've got some time today before we need to get ready so some catching up won't hurt." Falco held his hands up in defeat, after Fox realized his intentions. The vulpine sighed and gave in.

"It's still pretty early in the morning, I guess it won't hurt to kill some time." Fox said in defeat. A few moments a plate was placed in front of him while the lynx addressed the two newcomers.

"Can I get you two anything?"

"I'll have what he's having" Bill replied.

"Just a fish omlette here." came from Falco.

The lynx again went along her way as Fox started to dig into his breakfast. Fox was thinking of a way to start up some small talk when Bill began to talk.

"So Fox, it's been quite some time and with our drastically different work schedules made it hard to keep up. So c'mon let's get to it." The canine said cheerfully.

Fox chuckled, he was a little bit embarrassed but the canine was right. Bill did agree to come into his lectures whenever asked, to just give some career advice to some students but after that they just kept it business. The vulpine was sort of happy they had this time right now to catch up, he just wished it was during some other time when his schedule was clearer.

"How's life been treating you Bill?" Fox asked to start things off.

"Well it's been pretty calm. Got a good job and a decent place. Everything's just pretty nice now." Bill answered with an upbeat tone.

"How about you Falco?"

"I could say the same although my definition of calm would be a bit different than yours. Wolf's agency has been doing pretty well. We've also taken on some smaller bandit groups, and did a _variety_ of jobs let's just leave it at that." Falco ended on that note, waiting for a response.

Fox understood what Falco meant, Sargasso wasn't a government run place. It just acted as a hub for mercenaries to find quick or dangerous jobs for pay, with Sargasso taking a percentage of that too as per the contract to keep it running. Some of those jobs just needing to get done as Wolf told explained to him.

Fox understandingly nodded at the avian. Bill did so as well although the vulpine could tell the canine had more questions about this but decided against asking them. Both the avian and canine looked at Fox next.

"Well teaching isn't so bad, I haven't had a single student fail yet. Most of them pass with average to high scores and I've spent my time tutoring any student who needed the extra help. So that's what I've been keeping busy with."

Falco chuckled under his breath and Bill joined him, the canine giving the vulpine a playful pat on the back.

"Still kind of hard to believe sometimes that the great leader of the mercenary group Star Fox is now just a chubby teacher." Falco joking poked Fox's belly, causing the vulpine's face to heat up.

"Lay off bird-brain, I think it looks good on him!" Bill also playfully poking Fox's side.

Fox swiped their hands away and crossed his arms. Miyu returned a bit later holding two plates for his friends beside him and promptly placed their plates in front of them.

"Hey I still try to keep myself in good condition. Right Miyu?"

"Well I wouldn't call our little sparring sessions 'keeping in good condition', it's more for keeping ourselves from being rusty when it comes to close combat."

"Whoa Miyu, didn't take you for the type to know how to fight," Bill said surprised. Fox made a mental note to hang out with Bill more.

"When you have a face that looks like mine, you have to know a thing or two." She winked at Bill and continued, "On a more serious note, I'm actually a combat instructor. I only tend to this little diner part time. Fox here, asks me to come into his lectures to give his students a little talk about close combat."

"Don't you think you're going a little bit overboard with the teacher thing Fox?" came from Falco.

"Well since all I'm teaching is skills for the air, I think it's just as important to have skills on the ground too. Most of the people I train are going into the military so it's a good skill to have in advance to make learning it there smoother."

"Well you have a point there." The avian said, understanding Fox's reasoning now.

The group settled down, eating their food in peace for a few moments. Just idly chatting about their lives and what else they've done recently. Fox checked the time and saw that it's already been an hour since they came in to talk.

"Hey Falco, don't you have to make preparations for tonight?" Fox reminded the avian.

"I already have my suit picked up from the dry cleaners and Katt agreed to come with me as my dance partner for tonight."

"I must be really out of it if you're actually prepared for something and I'm not." Fox chuckled, mentally kicking himself to not leave things to the last minute.

"Do you at least have a suit to look presentable?"

"I was going to the dry cleaners after this to pick up my suit so I'm not completely unprepared. And I guess I'll just improvise a speech on our behalf, Star Fox did disband after the invasion so not much I can say except from what I've said before and a bit of what we individually did from there on."

"You have a point on that last part, you've at least kept in touch with the others to know what they've done at least have you? And do you at least bring someone for the formal dance Peppy wants us to do?" Falco scolded the vulpine.

"I haven't completely shut you guys out, c'mon I've just been too busy. I still have enough to say for the speech." Fox defended.

"What about a date for the dance then?" Falco pushed.

Fox remained silent, his face heating up embarrassed that he didn't find anyone yet.

"Hey you guys need anything?" Miyu came to check on them.

"Oh Miyu, great timing. Listen are you free tonight? I need a dance partner."

"Is this your way of asking me out?" She jokingly placed her hand on her chest and covered her face. "I'll have to decline, me and Fay have a little date of our own tonight."

"You could have at least said something to get these two to shut up…" Fox covered his face in his hands, the lynx not picking up on the vulpine distress.

"Oh don't worry Fox, I'll just go with you! We've been friends since the academy so I don't think anyone would mind too much." Bill laughed as he wrapped an arm around Fox. "They just said you have to bring _someone_ so I still count don't I?"

Falco eye'd the canine. "Well I guess he can bring you along if you don't have plans tonight. I'm being forced to drag Wolf along with me and Katt."

"Right Slippy mentioned that, is Wolf being forced to make a speech too?" Fox asked the avian.

"Nah, just seems that Peppy wanted him around for the interviews. He's done a few himself but it's been vague answers. The old man made it clear he wanted Wolf to be here for them to give direct answers."

"Do they still not trust him?" Bill asked?

"Nah it's just to clear up misconceptions between the media." Falco answered then leaned in to Fox, "This is between me and you, but I think Peppy still wants you to have a talk with Wolf."

Fox made a mental note of this and the trio began their chatter; they brought up obscure hobbies they picked up and silly experiences with each other since their time apart for the rest of that morning.

* * *

Krystal was walking through the Corneria City Center's hallways to find Peppy, Slippy arrived some time ago and was helping the staff with technical difficulties. She eventually found the old hare talking to some of the staff and other attendees and made her way over to them.

"-really looking forward to tonight, not just for the media's feedback but also on-" The hare spotted Krystal and turned to greet her. "Ah Krystal nice to see you again!"

"It's good to see you Peppy, it's been some time. How've you been? I hope you aren't worrying too much about Fox again." Krystal nagged.

"Ah ha, about that. Excuse me gentlemen but I'll have to discuss this some other time." And with that Krystal and Peppy walked along somewhere more private to talk.

"I'm sorry for getting you and Falco mixed in this but I really appreciate this. I worry that Fox is just working his life away, using work as an excuse to not go out and find a love life. I care for him as a father, but I've only treated him as an equal and I'm afraid he just sees me as a co-worker that's an old friend."

"He does seem to make it a habit to work a lot, I'm not going to criticize his way of life but do you really think we should be doing this? I feel like this is a bit too forceful."

"When you mentioned Wolf's current condition at that time, I admit I was worried for Fox's safety knowing their history. But the next thing I knew, you were telling me about Fox reconnecting with Wolf and I think of all people to break into that pup's shell, the best person would be Wolf. They've known each other for quite some time and I haven't seen someone break Fox's guard better than that lupine."

"I suppose you have a point with that, I'm sorry I couldn't be of help back then Peppy. I tried my best but in the end I guess that backfired." She chuckled sadly, trying to keep her tone from faltering. The hare gave her a hug, patting her back for a few moments before releasing her.

"I'm sorry Krystal, I thought you'd have a chance to at least help Fox think about settling down. You know how he is though, he's really dedicated with what he does and goes one hundred percent into it."

"You're right on that, but don't apologize. I suppose it's my own fault for falling for him this long. But I believe this is the best chance for Fox to truly be happy. It's not healthy for him to overwork himself."

"We and the rest of Star Fox can agree to that. I've got Falco trying to convince Fox go dance with Wolf but it seems Bill showed up and swooped him from our plans."

"Isn't Bill an old friend of Fox?"

"Well I'd say it's more than an old friend. Being as old as I am you can kind of pick up hints that others would be oblivious to." Peppy said grinning. Krystal started giggling when she caught on what Peppy meant by that.

"Don't worry I'll just be sure to point Wolf in the right direction when it's time. Bill's a nice guy, but Wolf in my opinion can really get Fox if that makes sense. Nevertheless we'll just have to see if either's bark match their bites."

* * *

Fox was exiting the limousine that Peppy had called to pick up the vulpine. Falco, Bill, and Wolf were all there as well following behind Fox as they walked between the barriers that blocked the media and general public away from reach. They made their way to the doors of the City Center, Fox turned to smile and wave at some cameras while Falco and Wolf just settled for making a little grin. Bill however reached an arm around Fox and held him a bit closer as they both waved at cameras, catching quite a few stares and few members of public to gasp. Falco heard Wolf growl under his breath and leaned over to whisper to him.

"Hey cool it, he just sort of tagged along. I'm not even supposed to let you know about all this, but I want this plan to work out too."

"Hmph..." Wolf grunted and turned around, making his way into the building. The others took that as their cue and followed along inside.

Peppy spotted the group and gestured them over to him.

"Hello boys, it's good to see all of you again!" The hare gave them all firm handshakes. "Now down this hallway is where you'll each be having your individual interviews. Krystal and Slippy should be finishing up theirs soon. Fox can take that third room down, and Wolf the other door across from it."

"Alright let's get this done." Wolf said sighing and walked off.

* * *

Fox made his way down the hallway and entered the room he was directed to. Inside was a cameraman set up with the interviewer he was to talk to.

"Ah you must be Fox," the brightly feathered avian reached an arm out to shake hands with before continuing, "You can call me Kal, Peppy set up this interview for us and we'll just be asking some questions but just treat this like any other discussion. I'm sure you've done this before."

Fox nodded and took his seat. Kal sat across from him with mic in hand and counted down to the cameraman.

"-And we're live coming to you today with an exclusive interview from _THE_ Fox McCloud! Now Fox I know these past 10 years may have seem long but tell me, how are you feeling at this moment?" the avian said with enthusiasm.

"Oh I'm feeling really good right now. It kind of blows my mind that it's been a decade and we've come a long way since then." Fox replied trying to horribly match that enthusiasm.

"That my friend is right. And as I understand it, now you're a teacher at the Cornerian University now?"

"That I am, with the age of war over and our system still slowly recovering from the damage the aparoids have done, the skies now have been somewhat calmer since before and my skills just kind of weren't being put to _good_ use. Then one day I had an epiphany, I'm not around forever and war like that can take a life away as quick as that. I don't mean to make this sound dark, but I felt that if an Ace Pilot like me can pass down his skills to many others. Then the system would be in good hands. I haven't had a single student fail any of my classes yet."

"An impressive feat at that and the Cornerian, or rather, entire Lylat System is indebted to you for those brave actions you took to destroy the Queen and save us all. To put this all to perspective: the great Fox McCloud is molding a newer generation of pilots with his skills and these skills are what this system needs to avoid another crisis."

Fox was a bit uncomfortable at the choice of words, but that avian was correct in that regard. He chuckled and awaited the next question from Kal.

"No words other than 'thank you' would be do your actions justice." He paused for moment before continuing, "Now what is it you teach at you class if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh I'm an Aerospace Flight Instructor, I give my students plenty of opportunities to reach me when they're behind. Tutoring is another thing I do in my spare time for students that just need the extra time that the class can't provide."

"That's very admirable of you Fox. You take your work seriously don't you? Now I don't want to pry too much but doesn't working too much like that make it hard on having a social life?" Kal inquired.

Fox was caught off guard by the sudden topic change and did another nervous chuckle.

"Well it does, but that doesn't mean I don't have a social life. I do keep in touch with my old squad but we've all moved on since we disbanded. I spend most of my time at a small diner downtown called 'A Fox in Space'. It's a silly bar that's themed around me and my accomplishments but it's cute and the food there is great."

"I see, and now the big question I know a lot of our viewers are interested in: Are you in a relationship Fox? You and your friends don't carry around public social media accounts like some celebrities do, but you yourself are celebrities in your own right for being heroes and all. That said, think you can enlighten us?" The reporter leaned forward intently, ready for Fox's response.

"I can enlighten you on this I suppose, and for the time being I am single. I'm not currently dating anyone."

Kal nodded a bit to himself, taking in the info before speaking again, "I see, that about wraps up the time I have for now." Kal turned towards the camera, "This has been Kal on CLNN, we'll be back for more after this break." With that the cameraman signalled they were off-air and Kal stood up to give another handshake to Fox.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to pry too much if it made you uncomfortable but that's just my job. The public just needed certain answers so I had to ask and I'm sure Peppy already warned you."

"Ah don't sweat it. I know how jobs are, just gotta do em. If these answers helped calm the media, then I'm glad to have been of help."

With that they said their good-byes and Fox exited the room. He entered the hallway and spotted Krystal and Slippy and walked over to them.

"Krystal, Slippy." He spoke to each and waved at them.

"Fox it's nice to see you!" Slippy greeted the vulpine.

"So how are things?" Krystal asked.

"Things are going." He jokingly replied to the vixen. She swatted his shoulder a bit annoyed and continued.

"You know what I mean."

"Well we just got here and Wolf is still in his interview, besides there's plenty of time tonight for whatever it is you want to happen happen." Fox finally replied when suddenly he was pulled away from his small reunion into a headlock by Bill.

"In the meantime how about we go find some good tables for the guest of honors." Bill dragged a reluctant Fox away as Krystal looked on worriedly.

"Keep an eye on Bill." Krystal whispered to the toad and he happily obliged.

 _Fox can be quite oblivious when it comes to noticing people's feelings. I don't want to hurt Bill's feelings in this matter, but Wolf has a better shot at bringing happiness to Fox._ Krystal lost in thought as she waited for Falco, slightly annoyed that he let Wolf in on the plan but at the same time relieved that Wolf was okay with it.

* * *

Wolf entered the room, there was a female tiger sitting in a seat and she gestured opposite to her at the open chair that the lupine walked over to sit in. She checked her watch and signaled the cameraman to begin the countdown.

"Three-two-one...And we're live, good evening folks I'm your host Terri tonight on CMZ. We have an exclusive interview here with Wolf O'Donnell here with us. Mr.O'Donnell how are you?"

"Well Terri I've never been better." Wolf replied.

"Now this Anniversary event is as you know, for celebrating another year of recovery and prosperity since the aparoid invasion those years ago. To my understanding you run a sort of agency that provides mercenaries a more stable and secure way of finding jobs is that correct?"

"Well yes for the most part. It mostly just revolves around dirty jobs the military doesn't want to do, to put it bluntly. And we're the ones they call to do it. It pays well and helps keep us afloat."

"Fascinating, and tell me what inspired you for the sudden career change Mr.O'Donnell?"

"Well it wasn't really a sudden change. It's just one event led to another."

"Would you mind elaborating on that?"

"Oh, uh... Well to put it in simple terms: after the Invasion was settled, I saw some real dirty groups exploiting some really helpless people. I generally just prefer to let the military or other groups be the hero to handle that kind of stuff, but it's just that this time it really ticked me off. With the military spread so thin across the system, it wouldn't have been long before another crisis started and if that happened, life for all of us would have gotten a lot harder. So I jumped in my ship and took matters into my own hands. Of course it wasn't a successful mission but I think you know the rest."

"Ah yes, the flight recording. It really inspired people to your cause didn't it?"

"Well it was gradual at first, the first few hours it came up we got a lot of media backlash. The next thing I knew some of my crew on board spoke of our location and recruited some friends of their own. Word got around and we started getting contracts with _business partners_ because of all the mercenaries converging at our station. So we set up a deal between me and some mercs just to test the waters with this new way of doing things and it worked out for both parties. I started handing off more contracts to mercenaries and then we end up here."

"That's impressive, to go from a bandit hideout to a mercenary agency. Would you say that your actions in the Aparoid Invasion defending and assisting Star Fox influenced this as well?"

"Well I won't lie, it sort of was. At first it was sort of a 'we have a common enemy' deal but I guess being around Fox was enough to change some screws in my head."

"Mhm, that Fox sure does have an influence on all of us. Now if you don't mind, I'll be moving onto some popular questions the public have been asking. Now first up is: Is Panther single?"

Wolf chuckled at her question, "Let's not ruin the surprise now, you'll have to ask him yourself."

The feline's face showed she was somewhat disappointed in that answer but continued on.

"Are you single?"

"Hey if this is your idea of asking me out-" Wolf joked, "I'm just poking fun, well yes I am single for now but I do have my eye on _someone_."

"Well that wraps up our questions for tonight, Wolf it's been a pleasure having you here," She stood to give him a handshake and turned to the camera, " This has been an exclusive CMZ with your host Terri."

With that, the cameraman signaled they were off air. Wolf let out a sigh of relief and stood up to leave.

"Sorry, those were just the more appropriate and reasonable questions I could ask on-air. You could've just avoided that question like about Panther."

"Nah I didn't mind answering that one, and to be honest it's kind of fun saying things like that. It keeps the media alive and guessing." Wolf answered the feline and left the room. He spotted Krystal and Falco waiting and walked up to join them.

"Where's Fox?"

"Bill dragged him away." Falco replied. Wolf let out another audible growl.

"Now don't be upset, I told Slippy to keep an eye on them." Krystal chimed in.

"Well what're we going to do? You all are not going to let them stay together if you want this plan to work."

"Well for some reason Bill seems particularly clingy to Fox today, he's been like that all day since I stumbled into him. You don't think he's onto us? Every time I tried to bring up you up in a conversation to Fox, Bill would get curious, ask a question, then continue chatting to Fox changing the topic to whatever it was they were talking about."

"Well it definitely sounds like he's trying to avoid talking about Wolf for too long." Krystal inferred.

"Yeah no kidding. I didn't get a chance to ask Fox anything in-depth about you."

"How about I just talk to the man." Wolf said with a low voice. Falco and Krystal seemed worried at this simple suggestion. Krystal immediately spoke up.

"Wolf calm down, we're at a public event and this is not the place for that." the vixen snapped. Wolf sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Don't worry I'll just be straight with him."

" _That seems like the exact opposite of what you're trying to be._ " Falco said under his breath, laughing at his little joke. The lupine heard him and smacked his head.

"K-kidding! I was just making a joke." Falco rubbed his head where he was hit, Krystal shot both of them a glare.

"Look let's just go find the table they're at and you can keep Fox company while I have a chat with Bill."

Krystal kept glaring at Wolf, "Wolf you _better_ not do anything you'll regret. Bill is still a friend to all of us." Wolf turned to look at Krystal and eyed her for a second.

"Look I won't do anything horrible I promise. I'm a better person now." He tapped his head before speaking again to Krystal, "I assure you I am, it's just that sometimes old habits die hard." and with that he walked off to the center courtyard where the anniversary was being held at to search for Fox's table.

"Krystal don't worry about him, sure he may say some things but he is a different person. Trust me on this one. I've worked with the man so I should know. Sometimes you can't change the way you think, but you can change how you act." With that final word, Falco walked after Wolf. Leaving Krystal to her own thoughts.

Krystal was embarrassed that she was being overly cautious for nothing. It seems her telepathic powers can't tell everything. The vixen sighed and walked along, deciding to trust her friend's judgment.

* * *

 _Author's note:_

 _Hello again everyone! I intended to make this chapter a lot longer but having it end like this just felt right. I also wanted this chapter to be appropriate for Valentine's Day hehe. But that didn't really work out. Anyways this one was fun to write, but felt a little bit messy because I was writing this at like midnight. Let's see what happens next time, like always leave a review and make any comments/suggestions you have and I'll see you all next time!_

 _PS. because I was bored I made a list of the main cast (most of them) because writer's block can really get to you, and I ended up listing off fighting styles of each character. I'm not skilled enough to write fighting sequences but just something fun I wanted to share._

 _UPDATE: Wow when it's midnight and my brain works a lot faster than my fingers can, you really don't notice many mistakes until after you go back and look at them. Anyways just wanted to say that I have fixed little mishaps I've made and just slightly changed some wording around._


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